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The history of IFA: The return to Berlin

Sep 4, 2009

Continuing our nostalgic trip, with photos as a reminder of how quickly future tech becomes obsolete. We rewind back to the disco and prog-rocking 1970s.

IFA, the annual gadget gala going on this week in Berlin, is the place for the world's consumer electronics companies to showcase the latest gizmos.

These historic photos, however, are a nostalgic reminder of how quickly future tech becomes obsolete--if not retro. Even the booth babes have evolved (and yet also stayed the same, thanks in part to the return of 1980s fashions.)

IFA Berlin dates back to 1926, originally organized as a radio exposition and then becoming a tool of the extreme right during World War II.

But this retrospective begins in the 1970s, when the show returned to Berlin and became an international affair, rather than a strictly German one. That was also around the time color TVs started to become more prevalent.

Here's a photo welcoming attendees to IFA Berlin in 1973. Note the show logo (left), which is still used today.

Photo credit: IFA
Caption credit: Michelle Meyers/CNET